The Top 10 Best Spin-Off Movies
People Love Sequels and Prequels, but Why No Love for Spin-Off Movies?
Spin-off movies are relatively few and far between in Hollywood these days. However, I always enjoy seeing films that expand on fan-favorite characters or dive deeper into the mythos and lore of a movie’s universe. That’s why this week, I’m taking a look at some of the best spin-off movies of all time. The only rule is that they can’t be part of a pre-determined shared universe. That means Marvel and the DC cinematic universes don’t qualify for this list since the cameos” in them are designed to introduce characters that are getting their own films already. Also, cross over movies don’t qualify for this list either since they’re pretty much just fan service (so no Alien vs Predator movies). That being said, there are still a ton of great spin-off movies that have popped up over the years and this list collects the best of the best.
10. Puss in Boots
Shrek has developed a strange cult-like following over the years (one that I’m not sure is ironic or not), which is a little strange considering how quickly the films went downhill after the second movie in the series. However, they eventually lead to a spin-off featuring Antonio Banderas Puss, a suave swashbuckling feline gentleman. His own film is an origin story that follows the cavalier kitty as he sets off to clear his name and restore his honor by retrieving the golden goose from a giant in the sky. It’s an adorable animated movie that features a ton of great voice actors taking on all sorts of fairy tale characters. No disrespect to Shrek, but Puss was one of my favorite characters from his films and I adored his spin-off.
9. Get Him to the Greek
Forgetting Sarah Marshall is one of the best break up flicks of all time. So, it makes sense that Get Him to the Greek would end up on this list of the best spin-off movies. After all, most of the talent behind Sarah Marshall returned to help make Get Him to the Greek a success. The film takes place after the events of the original movie and features the return of Russell Brand’s Aldous Snow. Snow isn’t doing so good after a break-up and has relapsed into a drug and alcohol-fueled lifestyle. This is especially troublesome for Jonah Hill’s character, Aaron, who has to get him to a rock concert set to begin in 72 hours. Things get out of control pretty quickly as Aaron tries to herd the perpetual man-child from London to Los Angeles.
8. U.S. Marshals
Five years after The Fugitive hit theaters it led to the spin-off U.S. Marshals. While Harrison Ford doesn’t return for the sequel many of the actors playing the Marshals hunting Dr. Richard Kimble do, the most important of which is Tommy Lee Jones’, Samuel Gerard. This time he’s chasing after a former special forces soldier played by Wesley Snipes. The Marshals are a bit out of their league with this case given the skills that Snipes’ character possesses. However, things go from bad to worse as it soon becomes clear that not everything is what it seems with their newest case. U.S. Marshals might not live up to The Fugitive, but it’s not half bad as far as spin-off movies go.
7. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Who could have known that when the Fast & Furious franchise launched all those years ago that it would have ended up here. The films switched gears around the fifth entry to be more about saving the world from evildoers instead of just racing around really fast in cars that “definitely” were compensating for something. This entry sees franchise characters Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw (Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham) teaming up to save the world from an evil organization with a cybernetically enhanced attack dog (Idris Elba). While it might be a bit of the top at times, the charisma of its stars and watchful eye of the director (David Leitch) keep it from deteriorating into a hot mess. Here’s hoping this action flick earns a sequel.
6. This is 40
Judd Apatow has a knack for capturing the humor in ordinary life (at least as ordinary as life can be on the big screen). Knocked Up first introduced us to Paul Rudd’s Pete and Leslie Mann’s Debbie in minor roles before they got their own spin-off. While Knocked Up was a movie about what happens when a little “bundle of joy” comes along suddenly and learning that life will never be the same after, The is 40 examines the difficulty that comes with realizing your life didn’t work out how you hoped. Pete and Debbie are a married couple with kids struggling to keep the magic alive and preserve their own sense of self. It’s a hilarious look at how life turns out and realizing it might not have been turned out how you wanted, but that’s not always a bad thing.